My name is Carlo DeVito, and I am the author of East Coast Wineries: A Complete Guide from Maine to Virginia published by Rutgers University Press. This blog is dedicated to primarily east coast wines and wineries including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It will also feature products and information from other regions.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Spring Lake Winery Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon

While I was attending the New Amsterdam Farmer's Market wine festival in early December, down near South Street Seaport, I happen to taste some really nice wines at the Spring Lake Winery table.

Located in Lockport, New York, the Spring Lake Winery at Varallo Vineyards is owned by the Varallo family - Dr. Nicholas, Tamre, Americo, Cristina, and Dominic.

According to their website, "The land beneath our vineyards was once an ancient beach- the shore of a prehistoric Lake Ontario. This lake is now 11 miles away, but the majestic Niagara Escarpment remains, towering 250 feet above us holding the warm, moist lake air like a blanket over our vines. It’s this unique geography – where the water meets the land- that is reflected in every bottle from Varallo Vineyards."

The vineyards are uniquely located in the Town of Lockport and are a part of the 78 acres that include an 8 acre spring fed lake, unique woods, and Spring Lake Winery.

Because it was a festival type event, they had brought a limited number of wines with them. I chose to try their two reds.

First I tried the Merlot. It was a medium bodied red, with a nice garnet color. It had nice cherry and vanilla aromas, and the wine had dark raspberries, maybe a touch of blackberry, and a hint of mocha or coffee. It had a nice balance of acids and tannins, and had a nice, smooth long finish.

Cabernet Sauvignon was a big, deep red wine. It was a big, full-bodied wine, with lots of structure upfront. But the flavors were solid - dark cherry, red currant, again, a touch of blackberry? Nice tannins. A well balanced wine.

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About Me

Carlo DeVito is a long time wine lover, and author of books and magazine articles. He is the author of Wineries of the East Coast. He has traveled to wine regions in California, Canada, up and down the east coast, France, Spain and Chile. He has been a published executive for more than 20 years. He shepherded the wine book program of Wine Spectator as well as worked with Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Matt Kramer, Tom Stevenson, Evan Dawson, Greg Moore, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He has also published Salvatore Calabrese, Jim Meehan, Clay Risen, and Paul Knorr.
Mr. DeVito is the inventor of the mini-kit which has sold more than 100,000,000 copies world wide. He has also publisher such writers as Stephen Hawking, E. O Wilson, Philip Caputo, Gilbert King, James McPherson, John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, David Margolick, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.
He is also the owner of Hudson-Chatham Winery, co-founder of the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, and president of the Hudson Valley Wine Country.
https://carlodevito.wordpress.com/